The Raiders loaded up on offensive talent again this offseason, bringing in Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer. Adding those two players with three established Pro Bowlers (Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow) means that the Raiders should have one of the best offenses in the league.
For all of those players to be successful, the Raiders need to have a quarterback who can get them the ball. And whether or not they have that quarterback in place is easily the biggest question mark surrounding the Raiders this offseason.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they took a look at each team’s biggest X factor heading into the 2023 season. For the Raiders, that was none other than Jimmy Garoppolo. Here is what the site had to say about the veteran quarterback:
With the group of pass catchers assembled in Las Vegas, the only thing stopping this offense from being a top-tier unit is the quarterback. Garoppolo has shown in the past he is capable of leading teams on deep playoff runs, but he’s typically had a stronger supporting cast than what he’s going to get with the Raiders. He’ll be reuniting with Josh McDaniels, his former offensive coordinator in New England, which should ease the transition.
If Garoppolo can stay healthy and play at a decent level, the Raiders should be able to compete in the AFC for a Wild Card spot. They have so much talent on offense and there is no doubt that they should be able to put up a ton of points.
But if Garoppolo were to struggle or get injured, the Raiders could easily finish in last place in the AFC West. They don’t need Garoppolo to be a superstar to be successful. They just need him to stay on the field and keep the offense on schedule.
